Ratchet pawl mechanism for railway dump cars



y 8, 1952 G. B. DOREY 2,602,403

RATCHET PAWL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY DUMP CARS Filed Sept. 12. 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Geqge 15 50mg;

@MV' A @227- July 8, 1952 G. B. DOREY RATCHET PAWL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY DUMP CARS 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed Sept. 12. 1949 INVENTOR. Gauge 5 flarey,

July 8, 1952 e. B. DOREY 2,602,403

RATCHET PAWL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY DUMP CARS Filed Sept. 12. 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 CH 45 v IN V EN TOR.

6601:9625 flor qy Patented July 8, 1952 l [UNITE-o Isr rEs PATENT. OFFICE 1 I RATCHET PAWL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY DUMP CARS George B. Dcrey, Westmont, Quebec. Canada, as-

signor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Corn- 7 parry, Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois Application September 12, 1949, Serial No. 115,137

4 Claims. 01. 1o5 312) This invention relates, generally, to ratchet pawl mechanisms for railway dump cars, and it has particular relation to biasing means therefor.

side doors H. The doors l and II are hinged Among the objectsof this inventionare: To

' mount the pawls for rotation with a transversely extending shaft and to-deformthe shaft in such manner as to provide thev desired biasing action.

Other objects of this invention will, inpart, be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

This invention is disclosed in the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and it comprises the featuresof construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of this invention, reference can be had to the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in

which: a

Figure 1 is a top plan' view taken generally along the line ll of Figure 4 showing a portion of the two operating mechanisms for the two sets of center doors of a railway dump car;

Figure 2 is a view, partly in longitudinal section'and partly in side elevation, showing the arrangement of the centrally located floor of a railway dump car, the floor being arranged to slope in opposite directions from the center of the car toward the dump doors located on each side of the center;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation taken along the line 33 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the transverse shaft carrying the ratchet wheels and the parallel transverse shaft carrying the pawls for engaging the ratchet wheels, the latter shaft having the ofiset portion for biasing the pawls into operative engagement with the ratchet wheels.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings, it will be observed that center doors I!) are illustrated having complementary on longitudinally extending shafts I2 which are located on opposite sides of a center sill I3 which extends longitudinally of the car. It will be understood that .there may be. four sets of center and side doors I0 and 1| 1, ,eachxset being located at the bottomof a pocket. The pockets are defined by longitudinally sloping floors l4 and I5 and transversely-sloping floors [6. As shown in Figure 2 the longitudinally sloping floors M are inclined from the transverse center of the car toward the pockets at theends while the sloping floors [5, only one being shown, are inclined from the ends of the car toward the pockets. Side walls :1, Figure 4, extend upwardly from the sloping floors It as indicated.

In order to control the movement of the side doors H chains are provided. The chains 20 are arranged to extend over sheaves 2| which are fast on winding shafts 22. which extend along the sides of the car. Each of the winding shafts 22 is provided with a worm and a gear mechanism 23, Figure 1, for rotating the same. An operating handle 24 is associated with each of the worm and gear mechanisms 23 and its position is controlled, in part, by a pawl 25. It will be understood that each of the side doors II is operated individually by its worm and gear mechanism 32 under the control of the operating means 34.

Now it is desirable that the center doors I!) of each pair ofpockets be operated simultaneously. For this purpose chains 28 are provided and they extend over idler pulleys 29, Figure 4, and sheaves 30 which are fast on winding shafts 3|. Since there are four pockets, two winding shafts/3i are provided as illustrated in Figure 1'. shown a worm and gear mechanism 32 is arranged to rotate the winding shaft 3|. The worm and gear mechanism 32 is located underneath the railway car in alignment with the winding shaft 3|.

It isdesirable that the worm and gear mechanism 32 be operated from either side of the car and for this purpose a transverse shaft 33 is provided. It will be understood that there are two transverse shafts 33, as shown in Figure 1, and that they extend from one sidev of the'car to the other. :At each end of each transverse shaft 33 operating means,shown generally at 34, is provided.

The operating means 34 is shown in more detail in Figure 3 of the drawings. It comprises a casting having four arms 35 which are spaced ninety degrees apart and each has a socket 36 therein Also as here for receiving an operating bar. When the oper-' ating means 34, which is fast on the outer end of each shaft 33, is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 31 the doors III are Permitted to open. When the operating means 34 is rotated in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow 38, the corresponding center doors H! are swung to the closed position.

With a view to holding the operating means 34 in any position to which it may be rotated and principally to hold the center doors H1 in the closed position, pawls 4| are provided, there:

being a pawl 4| for each of the operating means 34. It will be observed that each pawl 4| is arranged to interfit between'the arms 35 of the associated operating means 34 so as to hold the same in position. It will be understood that there is a pawl 4| at each side of the railway car for holding the operating means 34 thereat in position. When it is desired to move the center doors In from one position to another, it is necessary tomove'both of the pawls 4| out of engagement with the operating means at each end of the transverse shaft. 33. For this purpose the pawls 4| are located on theends of transverse shafts 42 which extend from side to side of the car,there being a shaft 42 for each of the transverse shafts 33 and extending parallel thereto and underneath the longitudinally sloping floors M as shown more clearly in Figure 2. The pawls. 4Lmay besecured non-rotatably to the ends of the shafts 42 by any suitable means such as by pins 43. Bearing brackets 44, suitably carried on the underside of the car frame serve to rotatably support the transverse shafts 42 in operative position.

It is desirable that the. pawls 4| be biased either to operative position with. respect to the associated operating means. 34 or'that they be biased entirely away therefrom- In the past it has been the practice to provide a separate arm in the form of a counterweight for accomplishing this purpose. Springs also. have been used.

. In accordance with the present invention, in lieu of providing a separate counterweight or a spring, each of the transverse shafts 42 on which the pawls 4|. are mounted is deformed. as indicated at 45 intermediate its ends, thedeformation being substantially in the plane containing the pawls 4|; This. offset portion 45 of each of the transverse shafts 42. inherently acts as a counterweightand serves to bias the pawls 4| into operative engagement with the operating means 34 or, when the ipawls 4| are moved out of such operative engagement, the offset portion 45 serves tov bias the pawls 4| away therefrom;

Since only a slight amount of additional mate.- rial is required for-each. of the transverse shafts 42 when the offset portion 45 is provided therein, there. is substantially. no increase in weight required to provide the biasing means. Further, the offset portion 45 can be positioned underneath the sloping floors |'4.' and thus requires a minimum of space.

Since certain changes can be made in the foregoing construction and different embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawings; and described hereinbefore shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a latching mechanism for railway dump car doors having operating means on opposite sides for controlling the operation thereof from eitherside, in combination, a pair of pawls on said opposite "sides of said car cooperating with said operating means to restrain the same and hold said doors closed, and a shaft rotatably mounted transversely of said car and having said pawls non-rotatably connected thereto, an intermediate section of said shaft being offset from its axis of rotation to bias said pawls topredetermined position.

2. In a latching mechanism for railway dump car doors having operating means on opposite sides for controlling the operation thereof from either side, in combination, a pair of pawls on said opposite sides of said car cooperating with said operating means to restrain the same and hold said doors closed, and a shaft rotatably mounted transversely of said car and having said pawls non-rotatably connected thereto, an. intermediate section of said shaft being offset from its axis of rotation: in the direction. that said pawls extendv therefrom to bias them into engagement with said operating means.

3. In a latching mechanism for railway dump car doors having operating means on opposite sides for controlling the operation. thereof from either side,. in combination, a pair of pawls on said opposite sides of said car cooperating with saidv operating means. to restrain the same and hold said doors closed, and. a. shaft rotatably mounted transversely of said car and having said pawls. non-rotatably connected thereto, a portion of said shaftbetween said pawls being offset laterally in the plane of said pawls and cooperating therewith inone position to bias them into engagement with said operating means and in another position to bias them to a non-engaging position.

4. In a latching mechanism for railway dump car doors extending longitudinally from a transversely extending sloping floor and having operating means. on opposite sides for: controlling the operation thereof from either side, in combination, a shaft, bearings at opposite sides of said car rotatably supporting said shaft underneath saidsloping floor, and pawls fast on the ends of said shaft cooperating with said operating means to restrain the same and hold said doors closed, an intermediate section of said shaft beneath said sloping floor being offset from its axis of rotation to bias said pawls to predetermined position.

- GEORGE B. DOREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in. the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,617,576 Campbell Feb; 15, 1927 1,876,404 Elder et' a1. Sept. 6, 1932 2,150,418 Campbell Mar. 14, 1939 

